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Napoleon's Loves

Napoleon's Loves image
Parent Issue
Day
9
Month
September
Year
1870
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

liad uot tíio original plaus of Napol-. con in regard to bis murriage bern frustrated by tbo Austrian Court, bis life raiglit havo laken a very different course, and tbiirc uiight now bo no neoessity oc' bis despairingly beivailing the faot that throngli íorcigu counsels be bas allowcd hiwself to Le ruined. lio wisliou to marry bis cjubíd, the Priooess Wasa, grand-daughtsr oí' tLo Craud Duchess fetaphruiie of Baden, and had already ofiered her his band on tbo occasion of a visit to Budeu-Uaden. llis guit was aooepted, but w:th iba eooditiou that Priuce Wasa, tbc father of tbe Princess, who lived iu Yionoa apart frooi bis wifo, sbould give bis couseut. Napoleon tbercupon turned to tbo Emperor of Austria, v.ith tbo reqaost tbat be should undortake tbe vooing of tbo brido froni Prince Waaa, but bo received an auswer to tho effect tlmt tbis was uot permiUed by the laws of etiquette, inastuuoh as the Priuce yas ouly a Üalonel iu tbe Austria aa irmy. ïhis, however, ws uieruly an excuse, since Frar.z Josepb was deterniined to prevent tbe proposed match at ayy price. Jle, tberefore, corjlrivcd to nfluonce Prioce Waaa to positively relnsebis conseut ; aud í hile Napoleon still hoped on, a muteb botwosn the Crown Prince of Saxony and tbo Princesa was quickly brougbt about by tbo intrigues of the Aastrtan Oonrt. Napoleon was deeply learning tfcat tbis, his darling project, had bccu fvustrated, he gave ütleranco to tbe memorable words. " Le) souverts de I' Eitrope te suuekndroul di moi." (The Princes of Europo shall Lavo causa to tbink of me.) It is true that at u ller day tho Emptüor oí' Austria liad only loo much cause fur regrclting tlie fbare which ha bad taken in thisaffaii". ; but for Napolooa tbo result was much wor.-e, írom baviog perba s tbe only real heartfelt (lesire lic ever exporieuced repressed in thisruda whv. Even though tlio woman wboiu lie bad desired to make Empress of tbfl Frcnch b;id by no uieans diBtin4 ;. ■. i - i . o 1 1 berselffor eminent qualities, yet bar uiodt'df, liashful, aluiost dependent nature would buve been a guarantoe that abe would nover have endeavored to overstep the limit of her duties, never laborod to secure a government which would bavo mado of tho higbest interests of Franco n playtliin"; for her mors and her selfishuess, But tliis was the result of the second choico whioh Napoleon then hit upon. AmODg the mauy adventurers of rank who huppened tobe in Paris at the time of Napoleon'a great politica! stratagem, thero wasacertain Couutcss Montijo and her dauhter, who had created a sensation and drawn the attention of tho Emperoi Napoleon toward themselveg by their extravagant stylo of living, as well as by the beauty of the daughter. Napoleon had drawn theso women to his 'new court, aud had indulged in evory kind of gallnntry toward the daugbter, who, however, had quickly givcu him to understand that, Cespite lier coquetry, sho was just as careful of her honor as he was of his, and would yicld in no way to his passioos unless he allowed her thO legitímate place at his side. When now the proposed match with tho Prinseis Wasa turned out to bo a failare, Eugenio cootrived to securo an invitation to Compeigne, and thero, in, the freor intercourse with Nopoleon, and with t'.io aid of a brilliant tuilet, in which violet wreathcg amid her blondo hair had an especially sírong effect, she 8uoceeded, through the magie of her personal appearance aud her splendid converBatioual power, in so alluring him that he, still sonsitive over the result of his former plan?, bd with the firm determÏDation of meeting tho ciowned Princes of Euiopo as a parvenú, ly oiïeied her his hand, and, to tho universal astonishment not alone of Frunce, hut of all Enrope, rais. d to the positiou o! Emprcss a woman of dmibt!ul doscont and cqually doubtful past, Sinco then that ffomao Las shured his tbrono with hiui for echteen yiars, and has appareotiy contiibuted vcry much to its spleudor ; but ií ÍSTapu!con now looks back over tbis period, and calis bimself to accouut ior tbe influences whick bíqco ihen havo beeu brought to bear upon him frota the side of his wife, and by meana of her have been niado effeotive, he can scarccly do otherwisa thau to curso tho hour in which he entcted ulo this alliance. Said Lady Fianklin to Jirs. Grant, "Sir John solder than I, and I am ncar v,y end. Jlo could nut have lived in tlioso frigid regions uutil mw. The myetio Northwest Passage will be his monumotit. Evorywherc during my American tour, your peoplo lj;ne hlionered me with kindness, andl will return to old Eugland, liko Lafayetto, with reocolleotioas only of a iiation's benediotious.

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Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus